Sam Yang

When I think back on how I grew up to become an artist, or why I like drawing and painting so much, little snippets of memories come to mind. They are trivial perhaps but meaningful to me; moments like asking Dad to draw evil monsters from his video art game books. Showing him my own copied drawings when I was a little older, only to be told off for never creating from my own imagination. Having a crush on my primary school art teacher. Drawing every character as a genie for a time so no one would know that I couldn’t draw legs. Mom telling me not to follow Dad’s footsteps, not to become an artist like him, but to keep art as a hobby instead.Hah! (Sorry, Mom!)I’m not sure how relevant this mishmash of past events really is, but I think it paints a nice little picture of how I might’ve come to be where I am now. I find that I didn’t always actively pursue art, and that my reasons for drawing weren’t always rooted in art, either. However, I do realize that, growing up, there were large periods of time when I was not doing anything related to art, yet sooner or later I would always come back to it, which is something I think many artists have gone through as well. Until finally realizing how much they like it and deciding to turn it into what they do for a living.So naturally, just like the many artists similar to me, I ended up pursuing art as a career. It wasn’t until after three years learning about 2D animation that I realized I want to draw concept art and paint pictures instead. This got me onto a rocky path of frantically taking whatever freelance work I could for two years, before landing my first job in the game industry creating concept art. I can still remember how ecstatic I was.Growing up, my biggest influences were always movies and cartoon shows and games. I never really had any specific artists I followed or aspired to be like, not until the last year or so at least, when an artist I really admire showed me the merits of knowing clearly what interests you and choosing the things you allow yourself to be influenced by. It seems like common sense to do this, but yet it is so easy nowadays to become conditioned to the endless sea of currently trending art fed to us online day in and day out. Realizing the importance of knowing where my art is headed was such an eye-opener for me, and I hope it shows through in my future work.